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Dallas Man Pleads Not Guilty In Fort Smith Bank Robbery

A Dallas man pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Sebastian County Circuit Court to a charge of aggravated robbery, in connection with the July 3 robbery of a Fort Smith bank.

Thomas Henry Auldridge, 55, is accused of entering Arvest Bank, 3200 Rogers Ave., at around 7:24 a.m., and handed three tellers plastic bags and each one of them a note, demanding money and no GPS device or dye packs, because he would check the bags before he left and he was armed, according to a police report.

The robber never produced a weapon, but one of the tellers told police he tapped his right hip like he might have a concealed weapon, according to the report.

After the tellers put approximately $10,000 in the bags, the suspect took them and left the bank, according to a police report.

With a description of the vehicle the man drove and his photo from a surveillance camera in the bank, Fort Smith police and FBI agents began checking casino parking lots for the vehicle.

Shortly into the search, a vehicle matching the suspect’s vehicle description was seen backing into a parking space at the Travelodge Motel in Roland, across the street from the Cherokee Casino, according to a police report.

After determining the tag was stolen, Fort Smith police made contact with the motel clerk, showing her the surveillance photo from the bank, according to a police report.

The clerk confirmed she just rented a room to the man in the photo, and officers and FBI agents took Auldridge into custody without incident.

When asked if he knew why authorities were there, Auldridge told them, “I robbed a bank in Fort Smith,” according to a police report.

Auldridge then signed a consent to search form for his vehicle and motel room.

A “large amount of cash” was discovered in Auldridge’s motel room, as well as clothing that matched what the robber was wearing in the surveillance photo, according to a police report.

When the FBI interviewed him, Auldridge confessed to two additional bank robberies in Tennessee and Texas, according to a police report.

Aggravated robbery is a Class Y felony punishable by 10 to 40 years or life in prison.

Auldridge’s bond was set at $100,000, but he is also wanted in Texas for a parole violation, according to a police report.